‘The Bunker’ explores one man’s isolated life after a nuclear apocalypse

The nuclear apocalypse has been covered in countless video games and films, with perhaps the most famous example being the mutant-filled world of the Fallout series. But while Bethesda’s take on the end of the world is filled with danger and mystery, it largely ignores one aspect that will almost certainly play a role in the (hopefully not) inevitable doomsday: loneliness.

The Bunker, a live-action game from Splendy Games and Wales Interactive, follows a thirty-year-old man named John (played by The Hobbit‘s Adam Brown), who is the last survivor of a nuclear bunker three decades after England was destroyed. Gameplay initially consists of John’s mundane daily routine, including taking his medication and opening cans of rations, but he eventually discovers “terrifying mysteries held underground.” Curiously, it doesn’t appear to be set in the future, but is rather an alternate history; dates on a computer terminal point to the nuclear event taking place as early as the 1980s.

Described by the developers as a psychological horror game, don’t expect to see over-the-top monsters in The Bunker. It’s 100-percent live-action and was filmed on location in England at a genuine nuclear bunker — decommissioned, of course. Its writing team includes veterans of The Witcher and Soma, which has us very optimistic for the script’s quality.

The first gameplay trailer, seen above, doesn’t make it clear whether John will actually encounter any survivors as an adult, but it includes flashbacks to his time growing up in the nuclear bunker. These scenes include appearances from Penny Dreadful‘s Sarah Greene, Game of Thrones‘ Grahame Fox, and the Star Wars prequels’ Jerome St. John Blake. The actor Splendy cast to play Brown as a child is spot-on, as well.

The Bunker arrives to PC, Mac, and consoles in September, with a mobile release to follow. Splendy’s other project, Camera 6, is also a horror game, though it’s “find the killer” approach seems more in line with classic slasher homages like Until Dawn.